Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Dreamers of the Day
by CrizBN
Summary: "Have you ever had a dream...that you were so sure was real? What if you were unable to wake from that dream? How would you know the difference between the dream world and the real world?"
1. In Media Res

I like to think I'm normal. You know, fairly average guy. I put my pants on one leg at a time, just like anyone else. I go to school in the morning, go to the shop in the afternoon, and I go home in the evening for a bit of rest before I have to do it all again the next day. I try not to panic too much about finals, try not to think about girls too much, try not to slip up.

But I've always felt different. Like I'm not who I am. I feel out-of-place.

Sometimes, when I let my mind wander, I become someone else. Someone exciting. Someone confident. Someone who isn't afraid of screwing up. Someone who's cock-sure and cool and always knows what to say.

Someone who isn't afraid all the time.

* * *

_"So," _he'd always say, _"What are we gonna do today?"_

_"Today? We're going to go on an adventure!"_ she'd always answer.

And she was always there with him. She'd always be right by his side. She was capable, too. Hell, if she wanted to, she could probably go off and become amazing all by herself. But for some reason, she didn't. She stuck with him. Through all of his adventures and his failures, she was a constant.

That's why I knew he wasn't me.

* * *

So I daydream in the shop most of the time. Watching tourists and snowbirds and locals alike, all mulling about unaware of the whirlwind going on in my mind. Every day, I hope for something exciting. Something that might let me become that guy I dream about. Something that'll let me become a hero. But day in, day out, it's the usual.

"Hello."

"Cash or credit?"

"Here's your change."

"Have a nice day..."

Eventually, I just gave up on it._ I'll just keep tending the shop, _I tell myself.

Nothing exciting will ever happen to me.

* * *

Chapter One:_ In Media Res  
_

* * *

It was one of those really crappy Florida days. It was right at the start of the wet season (summer/fall) for all you non-Floridians). It was one of those hot, muggy days where even with air conditioning you'd put on all the fans in your house and just wilt. In fact, I'd just given this one old couple a few water bottles for free. I had the feeling that if I hadn't, then they would've died of heat stroke before they even reached their car.

I had just finished putting some cash from the tip jar in the cashier when the front door opened with its distinctive, little...

_Ding!_

A girl about my age came through the door. Ginger, a bit on the thin side, brown eyes.

Way out of my league.

And judging from her behavior (a bit overheated, flustered, generally having a look of being lost), a tourist, too. Doubly off-limits.

"Hey," I said.

"Oh! Hi! Do you have a map?" she asked with a breathless voice.

"Yeah." I pointed at the stand of road maps we had for tourists to he left of the counter. "Take your pick."

"Thanks." She walked over to the stand in an unsteady sort of walk.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," she said as she looked through the maps. "Just a little disoriented."

I looked at her a bit more closely. Her hair was disheveled and dropped down to her shoulders in long unruly strands. Her clothes were also in a similar state, ripped in some places, and very clearly grass-stained. I had to ask. "Were you in some sort of an accident?"

She blew off my concerns and walked to the counter. "It was nothing major. I got hit by a car, I think."

My eyes went a bit wide. "God. That's pretty serious! Should I call an ambulance?"

"Please don't. I don't want any trouble. I need to find someone."

"You weren't traveling with anyone, were you?"

"No. Just me," she said with a forced laugh. Then she coughed a bit.

"Hang on, let me get you some water." There was a water cooler behind the counter for personal use. I would've given her a water bottle, too, but my boss was very anti-charity. I filled up one of those conical paper cups that always come with water coolers and handed it to her.

"Oh, uh. Thanks." She downed the cup quickly.

"Who are you looking for?" I asked.

"Old friend of mine."

"Your friend have a name?"

"Chris."

"Oh," I said with a bit of surprise. "That's my name. What a coincidence."

"R-really?" She seemed to get a bit excited at that statement.

Ignoring it, I said, "Yeah, so anyway, most of the maps we've got are a dollar."

She didn't really seem to hear me and just looked at me. She seemed to be studying my face.

"Um, are you sure you're okay?" I asked.

"Oh my gosh," she said. "It's you!"

"I'm sorry?"

"It's you! I found you!"

"What?"

"Chris! It's me, Valerie!" she said.

Something in the back of my mind stirred slightly. Something from a half-remembered dream...

* * *

_"Ready to go, Val?"_

_"Only if you are, Chris. Let's go find a Time Gear."_

* * *

I blinked. It couldn't be. _My dreams aren't real, are they?_

"Don't you remember?" she asked.

"I-I," I stammered a bit. "I don't—" Then an idea wormed its way into my head. "This is a joke, right?"

"What?"

"I mean, you've got the wrong guy, or something. I can't be the guy you're looking for. I'm nobody."

"You don't remember...?"

"I-I-I," I didn't know what to say. "I can't be him. Sorry, uh, Val. I think you're looking for someone else."

"Chris..."

"I'm sorry." I pulled the map from her hand and rung it up. "This map's fifty cents."

Wordlessly, she pulled out a dollar bill from her pocket and held it out.

I took it and put it in the register. I dug out two quarters from their spot and said, "Here's your change." But then I looked up. And she was gone. I never even heard the bell.

* * *

Welcome to Val's Head

I sat down outside the store where I saw Chris. It was him, without a doubt. I clutched the map he sold me in my hands.

_Why doesn't he remember?_

I worried that something like this would happen. I should have guessed that he would have reacted like this. I even _expected _it.

It still didn't dull the impact of having to watch my partner not recognize me.

I looked at my hand. It was so foreign to me. I balled it into a fist, like Chris always did with his forepaws. _I came this far. I'm not turning back now. I'm going to bring you home, Chris._

_I promise._

* * *

**_Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Dreamers of the Day_**

* * *

**A/N: Please, just bear with me a little, here.  
**

**(Also, I'd like to make that the tagline to all my works.)**

**Thanks for sticking with me, folks. You guys are the best.**

**Review and all that. CrizBN, signing off.**


	2. End of Course Exam

Of course, I suppose that you'd need a little bit of context. Starting in the middle of things. How silly of me.

Let's start from the beginning.

It was almost a year before that nightmare began.

* * *

Chapter Two: End of Course Exam

* * *

"UP AND AT 'EM, IT'S MORNING!" yelled Loudred into our dormitory.

"Argh," muttered my partner as Loudred left. "You'd think that after four straight months of this it'd get better, but-"

"It never gets better," I agreed.

I opened my eyes and saw a Riolu attempting to stuff his paws into his ears.

My partner inched his eyes open, exposing his abnormally brown eyes.

"Morning, Val."

"Good morning, Chris," I said back.

"Let's go. Chatot's going to be pissed off if we don't get to the morning assembly on time."

We stood up and shook off the hay. It came from our beds, and it sticks in your fur really well.

He slung his bag over his shoulder and put on his scarf.

I did the same with my things. I still had the Pecha Scarf we got when we first started a team.

Chris, though, he lost his things when he-

Well...

Anyway, I could still remember the day he returned. It was four months ago at that point. I had lived without him for just as many months before that day.

* * *

After we had stopped hugging each other on the beach, he took a step back.

"Aw, crap," he said.

"What is it?" I asked.

He looked around. "I lost my headband."

Corphish (who was on the beach with us) chuckled and said, "Hey, it's about time."

"Don't worry, I still have your badge and pin," I said.

"Well, that's nice, but my headband was so cool!" he insisted.

"Hey, hey. Trust me, my friend," said Corphish, "It needed to go..."

We had to get new things for him afterwards. Chris ended up getting a Defence Scarf just because it was blue.

* * *

Anyway, we made it to the assembly on time and got in our places.

Chatot and Wigglytuff waited for us to all settle down, and then we all sung our cheers. They had become second nature.

"ONE! DON'T SHIRK WORK! TWO! RUN AWAY AND PAY! THREE! SMILES GO FOR MILES!"

"Excellent. Before you all run off, we have just one announcement," said Chatot.

Wigglytuff said, "It's that time of year again - the graduation exam!"

"What?" I asked.

"Golly. Has it really been a year since the last time?" asked Bidoof.

"Yes," said Loudred in a shockingly quiet voice, "it has."

Sunflora whispered to me, "He's been counting the days since he failed."

"I HEARD THAT!"

"Wow," said Chris. "This place really is just like college. You have tutuition fees, difficult exams, that one guy who's secretly a black market dealer..."

"Please be quiet," said Chatot.

"Chatot, I never knew about graduation," I said.

"If an exploration team or individual passes the graduation exam, then they may leave the Guild, and be done with the harsh training of the Guild. Of course, they will have to pass the exam first. I believe this will be the first time you've been around for one, you two."

"Yes, I believe it will be," said Wigglytuff. "There's also the possibility that it could be their last, because they're the ones who will be taking it!"

"What?!"

_"We're_ taking the exam?" Chris asked in shock.

"Yup! Only one team gets to do so each year, so it's a great honor."

Loudred said, "HANG ON! How come THEY get to take the exam? There are LOADS of other pokemon here who've been around for longer!"

"Oh," said Chimecho, "you're just still angry about your failure last year."

"SH-SHUT UP!"

Everyone except Chris and I chuckled.

"I'll tell you all why Team Checkmate will be taking the exam," said Chatot. "First, they are already Diamond Rank. They've already proved themselves many times over. In addition to that, they saved the world. And the Guildmaster was adamant about allowing them to take it, besides."

"That's right; I was," said Wigglytuff. "Now, here's your task. If you go to Luminous Spring and retrieve its treasure, then you'll pass the exam, and you can graduate from the Guild."

"Luminous Spring," said Chris. "Where and what is that, exactly?"

"Luminous Spring is where pokemon once went to evolve," said Wigglytuff, "but perhaps because of our time troubles, no sunlight reaches it, and nothing can evolve there. It is deep within Mystifying Forest."

"Once you return from Luminous Spring, then you can graduate from the Guild with full honors," said Chatot. "Provided you completed the mission, that is."

"Omigosh! Like, just last year, Loudred took the exam," said Sunflora. "He failed spectacularly."

"SHUT UP!"

"If all we need to do is get the treasure, then the exam can't be _that_ hard, right?" asked Chris.

"Oh, but you'll have to look out for a dangerous foe," said Wigglytuff. "The Grand Master of All Things Bad resides within."

"'The Grand Master of All Things Bad'?" asked Chris skeptically. "That sounds like you pulled it from a story book, Guildmaster Wigglytuff. The first half of your introduction even rhymed."

"Oh, no, you should be very worried," insisted Chatot. "He's a horribly evil monster and has the power to match. He fears no adversary, and has a team of minions to assist him."

"How could we beat him?" I asked.

"Oh, you don't," said Wigglytuff. "All you can do is hope you don't meet him and his crew. If you do get into a fight with him, then you're in trouble."

A tense silence spread over the room.

"Alright, pokemon, let's get to work," said Chatot.

Everyone ran off to their stations.

"Chris, what do you think?" I asked.

"About...?"

"The exam. Are you excited?"

"Oh, of course." He smiled. "It's going to be a blast, I can feel it. Still, it seems a little too simple. All we need to do is grab some treasure."

"Weren't you listening? The Grandmaster of-"

Chris interrupted, "-All Things Bad lives there. I don't think we'll have to worry about him. Wigglytuff's trying to be funny, I think. You know, keep us on our toes and all that."

"We always walk on our toes, though," I said.

"It's a figure of speech."

As we walked out of the building, I admired the badge pinned to my scarf. When we reached Diamond Rank, we got to decide on a custom design for our badges. By "we," I mean Chris.

That's when he told me the meaning of our team name.

* * *

"But that design's so odd," I said when he showed it to me.

"Well, it's related to our team's name."

"How so?"

"'Checkmate' is what winning in chess is called."

"Chess?"

"It's a game. I should teach you how to play sometime."

"I still don't get the design."

"It's a king piece and a queen piece in front of a tilted chess board."

"I don't know..."

"I'll let you choose the colours."

"Fine."

When we asked Smeargle to paint it out, he was confused at first, but then he got it down just the way we wanted it.

"Is this okay?" Smeargle asked.

"Yeah," said Chris, "it's perfect.

"Okay. I'll send this to the smithy."

* * *

"Chris," I said, "did you know that they engraved our footprints on the backs of our badges?"

"Really?" He removed his from his scarf and looked at the back. "There's no way that's my footprint." He stood on his right leg as he looked at the bottom of his left paw. "Oh, it really _does _look like that." He planted both paws on the ground and re-pinned his badge. "I guess you were right, Val. Also, I think we should head to the hot springs tomorrow."

"I thought you said that you hated that place and you never wanted to return."

I think that he actually had an irrational hatred of Torkoal, the town elder. Torkoal lived at the hot springs.

"Yeah, but my feet are dirty. We could go to the beach, but salt water hates me."

"Maybe, if we don't have anything pressing tomorrow."

"Sweet. Let's go into town, get some gear."

Chris led the way into Treasure Town Plaza. It went slightly up-market in the year he was away. We visited Keckleon Market first.

"Welcome to our store!" greeted Purple and Green, the two aptly-nicknamed owners of the shop. It used to be just a stall, but the brothers had built an entire building by then.

"Hello," said Chris. "We're looking for some healing items. Got anything?"

"We have Oran Berries and Reviver Seeds in stock and on sale."

I said, "We'll take some Oran Berries and a couple Reviver Seeds, please."

Green went into the back of the store. Purple asked, "Looking for anything else?"

"What kind of TMs do you have right now?" asked Chris.

"Oh, nothing that you can use, Chris. Sorry."

"Oh, that's okay."

Green came back and we paid him 1,000 Poke.

"See you."

"Come back soon!"

* * *

"Care to make a deposit?" asked Duskull when we entered his bank.

"I still don't trust you," muttered Chris.

I said, "I'll deposit for the both of us."

I gave him most of the money we carried, save around 500 Poke.

"Your account currently holds 21,623 Poke," declared Duskull.

"Thanks."

"I'll keep it safe, don't worry..."

As we walked out, Chris told me, "Some day, I fear he's going to become the Dusknoir we knew."

I blinked. "Um, well, I'm sure he'll be a good pokemon by then, don't worry."

* * *

"Oh, hello, you two!" greeted Miss Kangaskhan as we entered her storage warehouse.

"Hi!" greeted her child.

"What's up?" she said, trying to keep current.

"We're going on a mission that'll probably go wrong," said Chris.

"It probably will if you go in with that attitude."

"Yeah!"

I put the items we found in Apple Woods the day before on the counter. "Could you store these, please?"

"Sure thing," said Miss Kangaskhan. She turned around to stow away our things.

Chris continued, "It's deceptively simple. We're supposed to go get some treasure inside a dungeon, but Wigglytuff swears that there's a monster inside."

"It sounds like you're going to have some fun."

I added, "And if we do finish, then we get to graduate from the Guild!"

"That's great!" exclaimed Miss Kangaskhan. "Just be careful. If this really is the gradation mission, then you two are going to be put throught the ringer."

"Real hard!" assured her child.

"We'll keep that in mind," promised Chris.

I said, "See ya!" as we left.

* * *

We walked through Mystifying Forest without meeting anybody hostile.

After an hour or two of aimless wandering, we saw a couple of old friends on the road. A Bagon and a Treecko were ahead of us, and Chris couldn't resist sneaking up behind them.

"Hello!" he said cheerfully once he was inches away from the back of Steele's head.

Steele flipped around and headbutted Chris in the stomach.

"Ow..." Chris moaned as he doubled over.

"That'll teach you to sneak up- Oh, shit. It's you two. Sorry about that," said the Bagon we call Steele. He didn't sound sorry.

"Steele," said Flora, "you can't just headbutt everyone you meet!"

"I said I was sorry!"

"Are you okay, Chris?" I asked as I approached the group.

"I'm fine." He breathed out between his teeth. "Sssshit..."

"Well, you shouldn't sneak up on us. You know that we can't hear as well as you two can," warned Flora the Treecko.

Steele and Flora were former team members of ours. We split up into our current teams after Chris and I travelled into the future. We were missing for a year, and we were legally declared dead. Chatot pulled a few strings and made us undead, but we weren't in the same team anymore. They went off to Roselia's Guild just after we returned and became extremely sucessful.

We saved the world just after they left, though, so we were just as skilled as they were. That was our reasoning, anyways.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

Flora answered, "We're going on a mission to Luminous Springs. Roselia's Guild is moving into the investigation business."

"Yeah, Treasure Town's changed a lot, too," said Chris. "It's nowhere near as quiet as it was when I left."

"City life too much for you?" asked Steele.

"Are you kidding? It's like a small town."

_"Small? _It's the biggest settlement in the region! Over ten thousand pokemon live in Treasure Town and the surrounding areas," said Flora. She was the studious type. I think that she had a high-ranking intelligence position in Roselia's Guild.

"When I was little, I lived in a city called Boston. Hundreds of thousands of people lived there," said Chris.

"You _are _a little kid," said Steele. Neither of them really believed the story about Chris's past. They just thought he was a crazy, young Riolu.

Chris blurted, "No I'm not!"

"Besides, a hundred thousand pokemon living in one place would be ridiculously crowded. Where would they all stay?" said Flora.

"It was big, and we had cars to get around," muttered Chris.

I whispered to him, "Chris, they're not interested."

Flora continued, "Sure... Why are you here anyway?"

"We're graduating from the Guild," said Chris proudly.

I added, "Once we complete our mission."

"Wow," said Steele. "Congrats."

"We need to find some treasure at Luminous Springs," explained Chris.

"Yeah, but Wigglytuff said that there was a monster here."

Chris said, "Personally, I'm skeptical. Called it 'The Grand Master of All Things Bad.' Straight out of a nursery rhyme, it is."

"I'm a little worried," I admitted.

"Funny," said Steele. "I thought for sure that Chris would believe something like that."

"Shut up," said Chris.

"Luminous Spring is just ahead, you know," said Flora.

"Follow us," invited Steele.

"Sweet."

We followed them for ten meters. Suddenly, the earth opened up and ate us.

* * *

I blacked out for a second, but when I woke up, Chris was muttering.

"I can't believe it. We fell into a fucking pitfall trap. How the hell did we not see that?"

He looked around. I did the same. We were in a shockingly wide area for a pitfall trap.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"I'm not hurt."

"Good. Any ideas on how to get out?"

"Maybe if we got a good look around-"

Suddenly, the cave grew dim. We looked up. Someone was covering up the hole!

"Oh, bollocks."

"What are we going to do?"

**Pitch black.**

After a few tense seconds, Chris said, "I don't think we're alone."

"What?!"

"I can feel them."

Suddenly, there was a deep voice. "Muahahaha..."

"Wah!" I jumped. "Who's there?"

"Welcome to the realm of darkness! I am the Grand Master of All Things Bad!"

"Seriously? You're him? Where are you?" asked Chris.

New voices spoke up. "We're all around you!"

"We're the Grand Master's minions!"

"Omigosh, you're, like, completely surrounded!"

"Hey! Even though its dark, we can still get you!"

"MUAHAHAHA!" shouted the Grand Master. "Entering my lair will be the last mistake you make! You won't be walking out of here! Prepare to-"

Suddenly, light flooded the chamber.

"..."

"Argh, my eyes," said Chris. The bright light was a shock after a few minutes of pure darkness.

"Bidoof!" yelled a very familiar voice, "What are you doing!?"

"Oh, sorry!" yelled Bidoof from above, "I thought you guys could use the light."

"Argh. What a farce..."

We looked around. We were surrounded by-

"Chatot? Wigglytuff? Everyone else? What's going on here? Are you trying to trick us?" I asked.

"Uh..." Chatot seemed unsure what to say.

Chris said, "Oh, you clever bastards. Psychological warfare. Okay, you win, I was scared. But seriously, we can head over to Luminous Spring now, right, Wigglytuff?"

"..."

Wigglytuff suddenly broke into the creepiest grin I had seen up to that point. Even worse than a few of the times Chris was _trying _to scare some of the outlaws we went after. It never worked, however. He was too cute and lacked a twin. Twins are creepy.

"Who's Wigglytuff? I am me. The Grand Master of All Things Bad. Nothing has changed, you understand. My minions will still destroy you."

"..."

"Th-that's right!" said Chatot after a few seconds.

"Hey! Hey! You're dead meat!" taunted Corphish.

Sunflora said, "Omigosh! Yeah! I don't know any pokemon called Sunflora."

Chris whispered, "Suspiciously specific denial, you know?"

"What?" I asked.

"Attack! YOOM-TAH!" commanded Wigglytuff.

"Oh, shit!" said Chris, "They're actually doing it!"

"What are we going to do?" I asked as I ducked beneath Sunflora's Petal Dance.

"We fight!" Chris clapped his front paws (He asks me to call them hands, but I don't see the point.) together and pulled them apart. A long, glowing bone appeared between them. He grabbed it and said, "Let's go!"

"Okay! Flamethrower!" I put out as wide a flame as I could, but I still couldn't hit everyone, only Loudred and Sunflora. They were caught on fire.

"Bonk!" Chris had hit Chatot, who was flying above the action, by jumping and hitting him. His bone disappeared afterwards.

Sunflora and Loudred charged me, even though they were on fire, and I started attacking them with Faint Attack.

"Why don't you faint!?"

"What doesn't kill you makes you STRONGER!" yelled Loudred before he fainted. My ears rang for the next minute. Sunflora got in one more Petal Dance before she fainted. I didn't notice Corphish coming up from behind me.

Chris was dealing with Chatot, Chimecho, and Croagunk. He grabbed Chimecho and threw her at Chatot. They fell to the ground, but Chris was left open to Croagunk's Poison Jab.

"Argh, damn it." Chris doubled over.

"Meh-heh-heh, show some effort, kiddo."

Suddenly, Corphish attacked me from behind with Bubble.

"Hey! Hey! I got you!"

"Rrgah!" I hit him with a Faint Attack. Corphish countered with a Night Slash. I was pushed back a few feet. I jumped at him again, and we started to just hit each other at random.

Chatot and Chimecho recovered and split up. Chimecho went towards me, and Chatot flew at Chris. Croagunk finally fainted to a Force Palm. Chris couldn't turn around in time to avoid Chatot's Wing Attack, but he managed to get in a Counter attack.

I hit Chimecho and Corphish with a Fire Blast, and they both fainted. I ran over to Chris just as he finished off Chatot.

"Who's left?" he asked.

"I don't-"

Suddenly, the ground beneath us attacked us. Diglett and Dugtrio had used Earth Power. I was starting to get faint. Chris and I munched down Reviver Seeds, giving them time to surface and taunt us:

"Come on, you weaklings aren't getting tired, are you?"

"We're just getting star-" Chris tossed a Oran Berry into Dugtrio's mouth.

"Why did you do that?" I asked. Suddenly, Dugtrio fainted.

"Oren Berry," explained Chris. "I am master troll!"

"What?" I hit Diglett with a Flamethrower. "That made no sense."

"It's not meant to. Anyway, all we've left is the great, big, pink pillow."

We looked over and saw Wigglytuff wake up. "Hmm? My minions failed? No matter. You'll never beat me! YOOM-TAH!" He launched his Hyper Voice at us.

We were pushed back to the opposite wall. "Whoa!" exclaimed Chris. "That's insane!"

"How are we going to beat him? He's the most powerful pokemon in the region!"

"Remember how we beat Dusknoir?"

"Oh! We attacked in unison! Let's do it!"

"You go first. My attack travels faster." Chris put his paws together and concentrated. A blue sphere grew in between them.

"Let's go!" I reached deep inside my inner flame until I started to exhale fire involuntarily. "Blast Burn!" I launched a gigantic fireball.

Chris fired his attack next. "Aura Sphere!" His blue, explosive ball of blue raced towards my fireball.

On the way down, our attacks joined together into a firey ball of doom.

"Wow!" whispered Wigglytuff. "Nice!"

Our attack fell short of Wigglytuff by a few inches, but that didn't stop it. It exploded and knocked Wigglytuff into the wall behind him with ridiculous force.

After a second, he coughed.

"They got me!" he exclaimed. "Minions! Flee!"

In an instant, everyone had disappeared. They all went out a secret way back up. Once they were gone, we followed the passage.

* * *

We were right back outside of the pitfall trap. Chris sighed. "Okay, that was actually really annoying."

"It was a good battle though," I said.

"Do you have any idea just how annoying Chatot was? I had to throw, like, twelve rocks at him before I could hit him!"

"Well, we're done, right?"

"Yeah. Luminous Spring's in that direction, right?" asked Chris pointing down the path.

"No, it's the other way."

"How do you know?"

"First, it's the complete opposite way you want to go. Also, our footprints are in your direction."

"Oh, right. Of course. You'd better navigate, then."

"Let's go to Luminous Spring!"

After a few minutes of walking, we reached Luminous Spring. Flora and Steele were waiting there for us.

"Oh, hey, you made it!" said Flora.

Steele whispered, "About time they got here." He asked us, "What took you so long?"

"We got lost down a pit around twenty feet underground," said Chris.

"Are you alright?" asked Flora.

I said, "We're okay."

"That's good. Here, look at what we found." Flora showed us a small chest.

"A strongbox? Why haven't you opened it?" asked Chris.

Steele said, "That's what I've been asking her for half an hour. She thinks it's booby-trapped."

"It could be!" insisted Flora. "Do you know how small they make the mechanisms these days?"

"Can we have it? It might be the treasure we have to get in order to graduate," I said.

"Sure, but be careful. I'd hate to see you set off a trap." Flora gave it to us.

"Chris, could you check it for anything?" I asked.

"Right, the Scream." He took it. He looked at it for a second, stumbled a bit, and then stood completely still.

Steele asked, "What's wrong with him?"

Flora waved a hand in front of Chris's face. "He's completely blank." She clapped.

"No, watch this," I said. I hit him in the stomach, hard. He didn't even blink.

"Oh! The Scream! He's looking at that box's history," deduced Flora.

"Yup. He tells me he's gotten a lot more control over it recently, but he gets carried away sometimes."

He came to and smiled. "Alright, I know wh-" He suddenly doubled over. "Argh. Who hit me?"

We all burst out laughing.

"Not funny, guys." He sighed. "Anyway, check out what's in the box!" He opened it. A Perfect Apple fell out.

"Oh, that is so Wigglytuff," said Flora.

"Looks like that's the treasure," I said. I stowed it away.

"Great! Let's-" Chris was cut off by a flash of light.

"What was that!?" asked Steele.

It flashed again, and it stayed bright.

"It's coming from the spring!" said Chris.

We turned and saw a pillar of light shining down on the spring.

"Wow!" said Flora. "Maybe this means Luminous Spring is revived!"

We walked into the spring.

A voice rang out, "Those who seek awakening..."

"Who's there?!" responded Chris.

"Time flows again, and the spring is bathed in new light. If you wish to advance in life - and evolve - step forward."

"Wow! We can evolve again!" said Flora.

Steele was in disbelief. "We can evolve. Are you serious?"

"That's so cool!" I exclaimed.

Chris asked, "Um, what's evolution got to do with all this?"

"You do know what evolution is, right?" I asked.

"Um, the gradual change of a species over time due to natural selection?"

"You just spewed out science-sounding words," accused Steele.

Flora explained, "That's not what we're talking about. We're talking about how some pokemon can permanently change if certain conditions are met. Their appearance can change, and sometimes even their abilities can change."

"Really?" asked Chris. He still had a lot to learn about being a pokemon, I guess.

"You also get a hell of a lot stronger, too," said Steele. "Wanna try it?"

"Oh! Well," said Flora. "I don't know..."

"Come on, it'll be cool. I'll go first."

"Wait!"

Steele steeped into the pillar of light.

"Welcome to Luminous Spring. Do you seek awakening?" asked the voice.

"I'm already awake. I wanna evolve."

"That's what-" the voice seemed exasperated. "Fine. Do you need an item to do so?"

"No. Get on with it."

"Patience, child. You can evolve. Let us begin."

"Hell yeah."

Steele began to glow. He became an entity of bright white light. Suddenly, his entire form doubled in size and changed shape. When he stopped glowing, he was no longer a Bagon. He was now a Slelgon. He now stood on four legs inside some heavy armor.

"Come on, no wings?" complained Steele. His voice had changed as well. His voice, once somewhat high and annoying, now was a bit deeper and still annoying.

"Those come later. Perhaps after you grow stronger, young one," explained the voice. "I can do no more for you right now."

"Fine." Steele stepped back towards us.

"Wow," said Chris.

I observed, "You're big."

Steele said, "I could probably beat you guys to a pulp now. Like, literally pulverize you. Make Riolu and Vulpix soup."

"I'd really appreciate you not doing that," said Chris.

"Stop it, Steele. You're scaring them," said Flora.

"Then go," he said, "evolve so you can stop me."

"Fine, I will." Flora stepped forward.

"Welcome to Luminous Spring. Do you seek awakening?"

"Yes, please. I don't need an item to evolve."

"Good. We can begin when you are ready."

"I'm ready."

"Let us begin."

She became light as well. She became taller and her tail changed shape. She grew a few new leaves on her body. When the light dimmed, a familiar form stood before us.

Chris said quietly, "You look just like him."

She did look almost like Chris's old friend, but she was a woman, and it showed.

The new Grovyle asked us in an mature voice, "Look like who?"

"..." Chris was wearing a sad face.

I explained, "You look just like Grovyle."

"The Time Gear Thief?" she asked. "Why are you comparing me to such a horrid pokemon?"

"Don't you say that about him!" shouted Chris as his aura flared around him. "He was a fucking hero!"

"Whoa, back off," said Steele. He whispered to Flora, "I forgot he knew how to swear like that."

"Chris, they didn't know. Calm down," I said.

He took a few deep, shaky breaths. After a few seconds, his aura vanished from view as he calmed down.

"I'm sorry," said Chris. "I still miss him."

"I won't ask," said Steele.

Flora told him, "Quiet."

...

The silence was broken by Chris.

"You know what, screw it." He stepped forward and into the pillar of light.

I asked him, "What are you doing?"

"Trying this 'evolution' thing. You're welcome to go next."

"You're going to try to evolve?" asked Steele.

"Are you sure? Evolution isn't reversible," explained Flora.

The voice spoke, "Welcome to Luminous Spring. Do you seek awakening?"

Chris looked at his paw. He took a deep breath. "Yeah. I do."

"Do you require an item to evolve?"

"Hell if I know. I hope not."

The voice was unimpressed. "Hmph. Typically one gives more thought to these sort of things; are you really sure you want to evolve, child?"

"Do I look like someone who is unsure?"

"No, but often those who are the most sure are the ones who gave the least thought to their actions."

"There are times when there is no time to think, you know."

"You have all the time availible to you to think about this. You should use it."

"Look, O great disembodied voice, I just want everyone to stop treating me like a kid. I'm not going to change my mind." He sighed. "Let's just get this done."

"..." The air became tense. Nothing happened. The voice spoke again. "No. I'm sorry. It is... not possible."

"Oh, come on. You're not just being a jerk, are you?" whined Chris.

"No."

"What, can I not evolve yet? Do I need, like, some magic stone or something?"

"You need a Sun Ribbon, but it will not help. The fabric of reality itself is bent around you. I cannot reach you."

"Seriously? You're telling me that I just happen to be the epicenter of this huge distortion in space-time?"

"It is a small distortion in reality, actually, but it is enough."

"Crap."

"Actually, there is another. The one behind you. She too cannot evolve."

Chris wheeled around to face me. "Val? What's wrong with her?"

"Space-time is bent around the two of you each. Neither of you can evolve."

"What?! Me too?" I asked incredulously.

"I have said all I can say, and I have done all I can do. If you can evolve in the future, then you shall return."

The light subsided.

"...Bugger." Chris walked back. "Well, I guess we can't evolve, then."

I said, "I didn't want to evolve, yet, but knowing that I _can't? _That's disappointing."

Flora sensed our disappointment, and said, "Aren't you two going to graduate from the Guild? Let's head back."

* * *

**A/N: ...and that's as good a place to end this chapter as any.**

**This chapter's here so that we make sense. After all, this is probably more along the lines of what you wanted to see.**

**Now, don't worry. That first chapter may have been a little bit out of left field, but I promise it'll make sense. Or not.**

**Oh, and don't worry about my other projects. I've got chapters in the works already. PM me if you want a preview. I'm always eager for some feedback.  
**

**(Nudge, nudge. Wink, wink.)**

**Yeah, anyway, this is CrizBN, signing off.**

_**EDIT:**_**Yeah, I suppose some people didn't quite get the "in media res" thing. I didn't exactly make it easy, did I? Anyhow, I added two sentences to explain a bit. Please understand, and all that.**


	3. Sweet Dreams

Chapter Three: Sweet Dreams

* * *

Back at the Guild, everyone was torn between congratulating Chris and I for graduating and gawking at Flora and Steele's new evolved forms. We got their attention more, though. The pride was intoxicating.

"Hey! Hey! Congrats!"

"Ohmigosh, you did it!"

"Meh-heh-heh, figured you two would pass..."

_"AHEM!"_ Everyone turned to look at Chatot. "Yes. Many congratulations to Team Checkmate for passing the graduation examination. Of course, you all know that means that they will no longer be staying here at the Guild with us."

"We're gonna be moving into our own place, then," stated Chris.

It was an exciting prospect, and I realized something. "Hey, if we're not going to stay at the Guild anymore, does that mean we don't have to keep paying the Guild nine tenths of everything we get?"

"Actually, no," said Chatot. "Since you're still associated with the Guild, you still have to pay the tax."

We were crushed. "Of course we do," muttered Chris. "So nothing's really changed at all?"

"Of course things have changed!" said Wigglytuff in his usual upbeat way. "Since you're now a graduate team, you're going to be getting all kinds of jobs you wouldn't have gotten before. Not many pokémon can graduate from the Guild."

"I guess you're right. I mean, you guys knew all our weaknesses when you fought us."

The room suddenly went quiet.

Wigglytuff was quick to feign innocence. "I have no idea what you're talking about, friends."

Everyone quickly joined in the denial. "Hey! Hey! Stop talking nonsense!"

"Omigosh, like, I don't know any minions!"

"Meh-heh-heh. Probably hit your heads out there."

"Must've met some other pokémon, yup, yup!"

"Yeah, sure we did," I whispered.

Chris whispered back, "Let's not push the issue."

Chimecho changed the subject. "I finished dinner, everyone!"

Steele asked, "It's cool if Flora and I share in the feast, right?"

"You're always welcome to join us for dinner, friends," said Wigglytuff.

"Well, let's get to it, then!" Chris raced Steele to the dinner table.

I sat down next to Chris, who had already started digging in. Everyone else, including me, joined in very quickly afterwards. It was an especially tasty meal. Chimecho had prepared berry salad, apple bran muffins, and a special cake with red and orange gummis baked in just for the occasion.

"Thanks for the great sendoff feast, Chimecho," said Chris once he finished his plate.

"Oh, it was no problem," said Chimecho. "It just wouldn't be right to let you two go without a proper meal."

"Hey, hey, where will you two be staying now?" asked Corphish.

I said, "We're going to be staying at my home."

"Hey, hey, I didn't know you owned a home," said Corphish.

Dugtiro said, "Sharpedo Bluff, right?"

"Yeah. How did you know?" asked Chris.

"I saw you two go there on multiple occasions. It's a natural conclusion."

Chris frowned. "Were you following us?"

"Don't be so paranoid, Chris," I said. "Dugtrio likes to look at the sea from the Bluff. It's the best view in Treasure Town."

"Oh, okay." Chris whispered to me, "I just hope he didn't get the wrong idea or anything."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, nothing." Chris eyed Dugtrio with the same look he gave Torkoal.

Dugtrio chuckled under his breath.

I really hoped that was an inside joke or something.

\Wigglytuff stood up. "Val, Chris, this may be your last night with us as recruits, but remember that you'll always be welcome here as friends of the Guild."

"Thanks, Guildmaster, for everything," I said.

"Well," said Steele. "Better help you two move out. It's getting late."

Flora stood up and looked at us. "Come on. We'll help you pack."

* * *

Chris and I led Flora and Steele to our crew room. It was a moderately sized room with two well-used straw beds on the floor. Another two beds had been pushed into the corner and hadn't seen use in a while. There were a few knick-knacks from various expeditions scattered around our beds.

"Wow. It seems so small now," said Flora.

"That's because you've grown," said Chris.

"No, it's more than that."

"Ah, quit being poetic," said Steele. "Where did you put your bags?"

"In the corner, there," I said.

"Hope there's enough room for everything," said Chris.

"That's why we're here," said Flora. "If you can't carry something, we can."

We all started putting stuff in our bags. As we went through it, Flora came across a small box with a flower on it. "What's this?"

"Oh, hey. I'd forgotten about that," said Chris. "That's a Sky Gift."

"I thought we'd sent all of them off already," I said.

"Apparently not."

"What's a Sky Gift, and where did you get it?" asked Flora.

"Did you hear about how Project E led an expedition to Sky Peak recently?"

"Oh, yeah. It was all over the news."

"We got permission from Wigglytuff to participate on behalf of the Guild. We were actually the first ones to reach the summit."

"Really?" asked Steele disbelievingly.

"Oh, yeah. We beat the Project E-sponsored team by two minutes. We'll have to tell you about it some time. Anyway, these little boxes were laying around everywhere. They only open if they're given as gifts. We had a great big gift exchange at the Guild when we came back." Chris smiled at the memory. "We sent a couple to you guys, but they must have gotten lost in the mail."

"Must have," said Steele. "'Cause we never got them."

"Well, I guess you can have this one instead. A late gift."

Flora took the Sky Gift. "Thank you. We'll open it up later."

* * *

After we finished packing, the whole Guild came up to the surface to see us off.

Bidoof started blubbering. "Golly, I'm gonna miss you guys."

"Omigosh, me too!" Sunflora started to get emotional, too.

"Oh, guys," I said. "We're still gonna be in town."

"It won't be the same, though," said Chimecho.

"YOU MAKE SURE TO VISIT! YOU HEAR?"

We all winced. "Yeah, it's hard not to hear you, Loudred," said Chris.

"I still can't believe you're actually going to be on your own," said Steele.

Flora seemed a bit conflicted. "Are you sure you can handle this?"

"Of course. We're professionals," said Chris.

Steele smiled. "Yeah, right."

"If you have any problems," said Chatot, "don't hesitate to ask for advice."

"Oh, thanks," I said.

"Well, I guess this is it. See you later!"

Everyone waved goodbye. "BYE!"

We left waving and smiling.

* * *

We led Flora and Steele to my home. There was a lot to carry, and we got there around sunset. I moved the bush that concealed the entrance to my home aside. "Down here."

"You live underground?" asked Flora.

"Not quite," said Chris. "You'll see."

We all came downstairs, and I'm a little proud to say that Flora and Steele were impressed.

"Wow, nice place you've got here," said Steele.

Flora smiled. "What a view!"

My home is in the hollowed-out "mouth" of Sharpedo Bluff. It's a cliff in the shape of a Sharpedo (in case you couldn't guess). There's plenty of room inside, and there's even a natural spring-fed wash basin near the back. The most appealing thing, though, is the view. The Sharpedo's "mouth" opens to the south and is quite wide, so we get excellent views of both sunrise and sunset in the fall, winter, and spring.

"It's pretty nice, isn't it?" Chris said. "Val has great taste."

"I was just lucky to come across this place," I lied. I wasn't ready to tell them how I got this place just yet. It's a long story.

"Where should we put your stuff?" asked Steele.

"Away from the edge," I said. "Put it by the wash basin."

They did just that. Chris and I set up a couple of straw beds away from the edge.

As we did this, Chris asked, "How are you guys going to get back to Pokémon Square?" Flora and Steele worked at the Roselia Guild, which was just outside Pokémon Square. It was on an entirely different island from Treasure Town.

"Our ferry back home doesn't leave until morning." Flora sighed. "I forgot about that."

Steele swore. "Shit. We'll need to find an inn."

The inns in town were very expensive, prime real estate and all that. I thought for a moment, and then said, "Oh, you can stay the night here."

Chris smiled. "Yeah, we can just set up a couple more beds. It's no problem."

"Oh, we don't want to impose..." said Flora.

"We're teammates, remember? It's practically our duty to offer you a place to stay."

"Well, when you put it like that," said Steele. "How can we say no?"

"Steele..."

"We only need one bed," he said. "Flora and I can share."

Chris frowned. "Ew."

Flora slapped Steele upside the head. "We'll help you get two more beds ready," she said.

* * *

We got the beds ready just after the last traces of sunlight disappeared below the horizon. It was a full moon, so we didn't need to light any lanterns to see.

Flora and Steele drifted off quickly. We made them promise to wake us up in the morning so that we could see them off before they did, though.

"So, this is it. We're really our own team now," said Chris.

"Yup. Are you excited?"

"I'm exhausted." Chris yawned to accentuate his point. "But yeah. I'm a bit excited, too."

"Well, we're going to have a busy day tomorrow."

"Really? What are we going to do tomorrow?"

I smiled. "We're going to go an adventure! I don't know where, but I know it'll be fun."

Chris smiled back. "See you in the morning."

"Good night."

That night I slept restlessly, dreaming about the stuff we'd do come daytime. I couldn't wait.


	4. A Beautiful Nightmare

Chapter 4: A Beautiful Nightmare

* * *

I was dimly aware that I had been injured. I was grabbing something, but I let go in pain as the pain suddenly registered. Almost immediately, something grabbed my elbows.

I opened my eyes and saw an old friend. Grovyle was holding onto my arms and had a desperate expression on his face. It was eerily quiet.

"HOLD ON!" he shouted, breaking the peace.

Following his orders, I tried to grab onto his arms, but I was too weak. It was difficult to even breathe. "I can't—" My hands failed to get a grip on Grovyle's skin. "I-I-I'm slipping!"

As my vision faded around the edges, I got tunnel vision. All I could see were Grovyle's arms, and they were shaking. He wasn't going to be able to hold me for much longer. He was grabbing my hands now.

_Don't let go! Please! _I begged mentally.

His grip failed. I screamed. As Grovyle receded away it all went black.

The next thing I knew I was falling. It wasn't quiet anymore. Lightning flashed and thunder crashed around me.

Before I even had time to think I was in the ocean. The salt water stung my eyes and put an awful taste in my mouth. I tried to swim to the surface, but I was tangled up in my clothes _(Since when did they get so heavy?!). _I pulled myself free and clawed my way to the surface.

I hit air and tried to take a breath, but a wave of water quickly shut that down. I spat out the water and tried to look around. I couldn't see any shoreline. There was so much rain and spray that I could barely see ten feet. A massive wave quickly pushed me under the surface again.

_I'm gonna drown!_

I pulled myself up again, and I went under once again. The water was so cold, and it was sapping away my strength.

I tried to stay at the surface once I reached it again, but something pulled me down under the water.

I opened my eyes to look down, and instantly regretted it. I couldn't see for shit underwater, and I only managed to get more salt in my eyes. It felt like someone had decided to cook my eyes in a waffle iron. Working through the pain, I reached for my foot and found it caught in something. I reached down and tried to free myself, but it was hard to do blind. It didn't help that I was starting to feel lightheaded. I couldn't remember how long I'd been holding my breath, but I was starting to feel it. My heart was beating in my throat.

After what felt like an eternity, I freed myself. I tried to claw my way back to the surface, but I had been pulled down too far. I couldn't stop myself. I just had to—

* * *

I gasped. _Where—?_

It took me a split second to remember where I was. I was in the store. I wasn't drowning. There was no hurricane. I was safe.

I took a few deep, shaky breaths, trying (and failing) to calm down. After a minute or two, I calmed down enough to realize that I was staring up at the ceiling from the floor. I looked at my feet and saw, well, my feet. I had taken off my shoes at some point while I was blacked out, apparently.

A little embarrassed, I pulled myself up off the ground. Looking around, I was thankful to see the store was empty. No one had seen me. It would've been a nightmare, having to explain that to a customer. Or worse, my boss.

"Have to keep focused," I said forcefully to myself as I searched for my shoes. "No more daydreams."

As I searched I found some loose change on the floor. Two quarters.

I picked them up and looked at the front door, almost expecting that girl to come back through it. It was a reasonable feeling; she _did _forget her change, after all. But she never came back.

I thought about that girl. It was an hour's drive to the town center from the store. She was probably going to faint from heat exhaustion before she made it halfway. I even imagined the sight of her sprawled out on the road next to a faded mile marker sign. Somebody would have to rescue her. A little rescue mission.

_Rescue mission. _He'd do those often. Wasn't the main attraction, though. The ones he looked forward to were the exploration missions. The sense of adventure was intoxicating. That was the main attraction, and the second biggest reason I envied that guy.

A slight buzzing sound dragged me back to the shop. My phone alarm was going off. It was time to take a break.

"All right then." I went around the counter to change the sign hanging in the front door. As I flipped it from "OPEN" to "CLOSED," I noticed that that girl from earlier was sitting on the curb. I opened the door and stuck my head out into the heat. "You're still here?" I half-stated, half-asked.

The redhead turned her head to look at me. "What?"

"Just a little surprised. I thought you left."

She forced a smile. "Ah, no. I'm still here."

"Are you waiting for a ride or something?"

She kept that wan smile on. "Yeah, I guess."

I thought for a second. "Why don't you wait inside? There's air conditioning."

"I don't mind the heat, really."

"Oh, come on. It's no trouble. I was just about to take a break."

She sighed and pushed herself up off the ground with her hands. "Alright, I'll come in."

I held the door open for her and closed it when she came in. As I locked the door, I asked, "Are you feeling alright?"

"Excuse me?"

"You look a bit, well, ah..." I fumbled around for the word. I can't just call her out on—

Without skipping a beat, she offered, "Sad?"

After a moment of moving my mouth wordlessly, I found it. "Yeah, I was thinking something more like occupied."

"I'm not busy," she said, a bit of confusion showing on her face.

I shook my head. "Not that kind of occupied. I mean, you seem to have a lot on your mind."

She nodded, frowning slightly. "You're right."

"Is it about the other Chris you're looking for?"

She flinched slightly. "Yes."

"He must really mean a lot to you."

"I guess."

I thought for a moment. "I don't mean to pry..." I trailed off.

She looked at me expectantly. "Yeah?"

"Was he maybe, more than a friend?"

She laughed slightly. "That seems a lot like prying."

"Well, yeah. You only ever say that if you really mean the opposite thing. It's sort of like 'with all due respect,' or 'Democratic People's Republic.' You know that's not what's really happening."

She looked at me oddly. "...what?"

"Sorry. I tend to ramble."

She shook her head and looked down.

I looked down too. It was at that point I realized I still hadn't found my shoes. "Oh, sorry."

"What for?" she asked.

"I should be wearing shoes, but I've misplaced mine."

She thought about my statement for a second. "What are shoes?"

That caught me off guard. "Excuse me?"

"I don't know what shoes are." She said it plainly, as if she were stating the time or that the sky was blue.

I blinked in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding. Aren't you wearing a pair?" I pointed at her shoes, which seemed well-worn.

"Oh, those are called shoes?"

I cradled my head in my hands. "You're messing with me again."

"I honestly didn't know..."

I felt, well, angry. "Who put you up to this, eh? Was it Steven?"

"Who?"

I scrutinized her face. I tried to look for any signs that she was lying. All I saw was genuine confusion. There was only one logical conclusion. "You're really weird."

She smiled and chuckled slightly.

"What's funny?" I asked.

She stopped laughing. "It's just— _you're_ calling me weird."

I realized what she was getting at. "Look, uh, Val, right?" I looked her in the eye to emphasize my point. "We don't know each other, alright? You've got me confused for somebody else."

She withered noticeably and looked away. She turned around and started looking around the store. She muttered something under her breath that I couldn't understand.

I sighed. "Look. I know that this isn't what you want to hear, but it's the truth. I've never seen you before." I rubbed the back of my head thoughtfully. "If you want, I could help you look for this other Chris you're looking for."

She sighed heavily. "Yeah."

I felt a little bit guilty. That girl seemed completely defeated, and it was because of something I did.

Still, it wasn't entirely my fault. She thought I was somebody I wasn't.

A little voice in my head tried to disagree with that sentiment, but it was quickly shut down.

There was no way.

* * *

**A/N: Quick updates, for a change. Try and keep up.  
**

**Have a good night, folks.**


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